This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Leaps forward, but law still discriminates, says Wilson

Former finance minister who lost a son to suicide chose to be a champion for change. He is still fighting for the cause

Former Finance Minister Michael Wilson has been a long time campaigner for the mental health cause. (DAVID COOPER / TORONTO STAR)

By Michael Wilson

Sat., June 8, 2013

When I look back on the last decade in mental health, it's been nothing short of transformative. Back in the early days when I first joined the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation, we were daunted by the challenge of a $10-million campaign. The ability to find volunteers, attract people to serve on boards or associate their names with mental health was virtually unheard of. The stigma associated with mental illness was pervasive.

What I have seen in the last decade is an extraordinary shift — in attitudes and in progress.

By raising more than $100 million in 2011, the CAMH Foundation's campaign became the largest hospital fundraising campaign for mental health in North America. Bell Canada made the single largest corporate donation toward mental health with its $10-million gift to CAMH the same year, and members of the Campbell Family gave an incredible $30-million commitment to accelerate brain science research. Those involved on CAMH boards and those giving their time and money to the cause have increased exponentially. The crowds at fundraisers such as UnMasked — now one of Toronto's signature events — represent a who's who of Toronto society.

It's not all about money of course. Bell, for instance, is walking the talk by ensuring all managers have mental health training so people with mental health problems in the workplace have the support they need and managers have the resources necessary to recognize problems and help connect people to care.

The transformation of CAMH's Queen St. campus is a metaphor for the progress made. I remember how shocked I was when I first walked through the door at the old Queen St. site. The dark buildings, isolated from the busy city, resembled a jail more than a health-care facility. Today, the new buildings are filled with colour and light, reflecting a more recovery-focused environment. The city streets through the old asylum site have opened the hospital to the community. With the second half of the hospital yet to be built, the old buildings that remain remind us the job is not done.

Article Continued Below

However, as is often the case with progress, it's possible to lose ground in some areas. The intersection between mental illness and the law has always been complex, and the stigma associated with it continues to run deep. It is here I believe we may be taking two steps back.

Today, people with mental health problems are overrepresented in our justice system. More than 30 per cent of people currently incarcerated are known to have a mental illness, and those with addictions can run up to 70 per cent. At a time when we seem to be building more prisons in this country, ensuring that prisoners are getting the appropriate physical and mental health care is critical. We don't need maximum security facilities for most of these people, but we do need far more than the minimum medical treatment they are receiving. Without that care, it is far more likely they will reoffend.

We also have to be careful to not further criminalize people whose mental illness is responsible for their trouble with the law. The few cases sensationalized by media in the last year have led to proposed legislative changes to the not criminally responsible defence that aim to “fix” a review board system that is not broken and will lead to increased discrimination against those with mental illness. Our system of Review Boards has proven successful in rehabilitating people with mental illness with extremely low rates of reoffending — proof that providing the care that people need is the best way to ensure public safety.

When I look back at how difficult the early days were and I recall the courage of those who told their stories, I think about how they paved the way for the progress we enjoy today. I also want to honour them by continuing to move forward.

We need to complete CAMH's transformative redevelopment project so that everyone gets care in a dignified recovery-focused environment. We need to continue to drive social change and eradicate the discrimination that still persists in our society. And, we need to develop public policies that encourage progress instead of taking us back to a day we would much rather forget.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com